A MINUTE’S silence was observed at last Sunday’s ITBA National Breeding and Racing Awards in memory of Una Tormey McElroy, whose death in January shocked the Irish racing and bloodstock community.

Una died after a short illness at the age of just 41. She is survived by her husband Joe McElroy, infant son Eoin, her mother Pauline, and by an enormous circle of friends and fellow professionals in the equine world.

Una was appointed chief executive of the ITBA on December 1st, 2022, two years after she joined the ITBA as membership coordinator, rising to the role of operations manager.

In her all-too-short time in the role, Una made an immediate impact, proving herself to be both an able and affable administrator, and her sudden death has been met by a huge wave of sadness within the industry.

Una, even on maternity leave, was in constant touch with her colleagues in the office as they organised a myriad of events, one of these being last weekend’s National Awards.

ITBA chairman Cathy Grassick said: “Una’s passing is a huge loss, to her family and friends and also to the ITBA and the breeders of Ireland. She always put so much work into the ITBA Awards and this year’s event was no exception.

“Una was a beautiful person both inside and out and she will be greatly missed by us all, as a treasured colleague and, most of all, as a dear friend.”

HRI support

The aim of the ITBA National Awards is to recognise the outstanding achievements of Irish-bred horses, both flat and National Hunt.

In her speech last Sunday night, Grassick thanked Suzanne Eade, chief executive of Horse Racing Ireland, for that organisation’s continued support of Irish breeders.

“Through such important bodies as Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and equuip, and with financial support for vital initiatives such as the IRE Incentive and ITBA NH Fillies Scheme, HRI must continue to ensure breeders are recognised as the lifeblood of racing.

“We look forward to their continued support especially with many important issues facing breeders such as essential access to work visas for the many employment opportunities in breeding.”

With several high-ranking politicians in the room, Grassick reminded guests that the ITBA is an all-island organisation and there are thoroughbred breeders in every county in Ireland, providing investment and employment in many disadvantaged rural areas and making significant contributions annually to the Irish economy.

“It is an impressive statistic that Ireland is the largest breeder of thoroughbreds in Europe and the third-largest producer in the world,” she said. “It is for this reason that the Irish bloodstock industry is of such importance and we thank the Department of Agriculture for recognising this, and look forward to continuing to work together to ensure Ireland’s success at the highest levels.”

ITBA events

Grassick also touched on some of the successful events hosted by the ITBA in the past year, such as the Distance Debate on Derby weekend at the Curragh, the NH seminar in the Lord Bagenal Hotel and the flat seminar at Goffs.

“These evenings were heavily attended by the breeders of Ireland,” she said. “There were questions asked and opinions given, which led to discussions and debates at industry stakeholder level and in the media, hopefully resulting in future change. This is the breeders of Ireland at work for themselves, helping to forge out a future for the industry and having their voices heard.

“Our industry can be proud for taking a hard look at itself and suggesting how to improve, to meet market demands. I look forward to many more interesting conversations and actions to deliver these improvements.”

The ITBA Next Generation has also thrived under the chairmanship of Conor Wixted and vice-chair Ross O’Mahony. “In the past 12 months they have had a number of sold-out events such as a pinhooking seminar, table quiz and an exciting upcoming tour of Ballydoyle and Coolmore Stud. The membership continues to grow and we look forward to seeing much more from them in the coming year.”

Acknowledging that there were challenges on the international front, Grassick gave special thanks to the ITBA’s veterinary consultant Des Leadon “for dealing so ably with many matters of veterinary significance on behalf of breeders” and also to Joe Hernon, chairman of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations for his continued efforts representing Irish breeders at European levels.”

Grassick concluded: “My sincere thanks also go to Pat Keogh, our interim chief executive, who has put in tremendous work in his role with the ITBA. Thank you also, to all of the ITBA Council members who dedicate so much time and effort, on a completely voluntary basis, to work for the good of Irish breeders and Irish breeding.”

The ITBA’s Events Committee, under the chairmanship of Joe Foley, was also commended for its outstanding work in organising the Awards, ably assisted by the ITBA office team of Danielle Deveney, Hannah Marks and Ciara Lacy.